Mary Ann Tirol Kimpo was born in Davao City. She is married to Ali Al Sherhri and has two kids named Tammy and Ricky, respectively. They have made the Philippines their official home and built a Mideast Restaurant in Boracay Island in D’ Mall- Baharat- Kabsa Steakhouse.

She is the youngest of seven children. Her father is the late judge Ramon Escalona Kimpo and her late mother, Edna Elsie Gonzales Tirol, a papal awardee” Pro E Pontifice” from Pope Pius Xll for her church work. Her grandparents were Judge Lamberto Hontiveros Tirol and Sofia Ner Gonzales, the “greener” and “discoverer” of Boracay Island. She always brings her kids to Boracay while vacationing to meet with their relatives and know their roots.

She loves doing and joining extracurricular activities like acting, dancing, singing, and writing from elementary to college. Despite being active in these activities, she was still a dean’s lister at the Philippine Women’s University as she finished her degree in Medical Technology in same university and graduated her Pre-Medicine at Ateneo de Davao. Despite her activities, she manages to stay her name in the honors’ list in her class during elementary and high school years.

Before the Martial Law era, she wrote for THE ATENEWS, the school paper of Ateneo de Davao, and The Sheild Yearbook. She was the Secretary of the Student Council as well. Writing played an essential role in her student life and later. After Pre-Med in Ateneo, her parents decided to send her to Manila to study.

In Manila, she went to PWU; here, she again wrote for the PHILWOMENIAN, the university newspaper. She went to GSIS General Hospital in East Avenue and worked as an Intern in their laboratory. Later on, she landed a job at the Philippine Heart Center for Asia and writing feature stories for PINTIG, the hospital magazine. To note, she is one of the pioneers of the said hospital.

In 1979, she was in the second planeload of Overseas Contract Workers bound for Saudi Arabia, where she met her husband, Ali Alshershi. They went through a lot of difficulties to get married; Saudis were not allowed to marry foreigners. With that difficulty hanging in the air, they decided to move to the United States, earning a US visa to get married in the United States. They got married in Las Vegas. Mary Ann found worked in the laboratory in Permian General Hospital.

Then the document finally arrived, granting Ali’s family to join him in Jeddah. And Mary Ann went back with Thamara to Jeddah. She found the Saudis to be good and friendly people, except that they have different traditions and customs that one must strictly follow.

After Tariq (Ricky), her youngest, was born, she went back to work with the Ministry of Health as a Laboratory Specialist in Jeddah until her retirement. While she was there, she joined the Filipino Community not to miss her lifestyle in the Philippines. Ali, her husband, was understanding enough to let her and her children join the Saudi, Filipino, American activities.

The Kuwait-Iraqi war gave them a good reason to send their children to the Philippines. It was not difficult for the children because they always sent them to the Philippines or the US for vacations. Her parting words to them were to “get the best of both worlds.”

After retiring, Mary Ann and her husband joined their children in the Philippines. Her husband went into the restaurant business.

Mary Ann is an active civic leader, her organizations past and present, namely Board of Director of the Ladislawa Association for six years; President of the Mt. Talomo International Lions Club; Officer of the Ageless Society of Ladislawa Association and currently a Trustee of the Board of Megaworld’s and Global-Estate Resorts (GERI) Oceanway Residences in Newcoast, Boracay Island.

Her daughter Thamara moved to New York with daughter Tara. Thamara graduated with a degree in MS Behavioral Science and Health promotion in New York. She continued her studies, trying to finish her Ph.D.

On the other hand, while Maryann visited New York, she took a refresher voice course with the New York Vocal Coaching of Justin Stone as a coloratura.

A few months before the 2020 Pandemic, Mary Ann brought their children back to the Philippines where Tammy is currently taking up Law.

Their son Ricky (Tariq) is married to Joyce, and they have two children Johann and Baby Maryam. Ricky is a graduate of Computer Science.

Mary Ann also bakes cakes. Her cakes are “Character -like,” mostly 3-D like the doll cakes.

As a coloratura, she holds musical nights and participates in charitable events with her voice coach and accompanist Rogerbert Goleng, Jr. and violinist Robert Stormowski from Poland. Now, thanks be to God, the family says, as they are all together now, especially in these troubled times, they are all staying together in their family compound in Davao City.